richards



2 Sheets- Sheet 1.

W. N. MGHARDS.

CAR OUPLING.

Patented Peb. 27,1883..

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(No Model.) 2Sheets-Sheet 2. W. N. RICHARDS. GAR GOUPLING. No.. 272,979. Patented 11015.27, 18.83.

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UNITE STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM N. RICHARDS, OF LYONS, NEW YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part, of Letters Patent No. 272,979, dated February 27, 1883.

Application filed January 15, 1883.

.To all whom tt may com-cru Be it known that LWILLIAM N. R101-aliens, ot' Lyons, Wayne county, New York, liaveinventeda certain new and useful Improvement in Gar-Couplings; and I do hereby declarethat the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accolnpanyin g drawings, in which- Figure 1 is an elevation, partially in section of my improved coupling. Fig. 2 is a plan of the slide for operating the weighted lever that holds the coupling-link. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the upper end of the lever enlarged. Fig. 4 is a section showing the curved seat in the draw-bar, on which the head of the lever rides. Fig. 5 is afront view of the head of the lever and the curved seat on which it rides. Fig. 6 is a cross-section of the draw-bar and a front elevation of a car, showing the crank-rod for operating the slide that connects with the lever. Fig. 7 is a secltion through the ball of the weighted lever.

Fig. 8 is a modification ofthe slide for operating the lever.

My improvement relates to car-couplings in which a weighted lever or arm is used which holds the coupling link or shackle.

The invention consists in the peculiar construction of the draw-bar by which the coupling-link can be held at any desired elevation to be coupled to cars ot' varying heights; inthe peculiar construction of the weighted lever by which the link can be raised at any desired position, and in the combination, with the weighted lever, of a slide by which thelever is thrown forward to disengage the link, or to raise it, and a crank-rod connectedwith the slide by which the latter is operated, all as hereinafter described.

-In the drawings, A A indicate the drawbars, and B the coupling link or shackle. The usual open daring mouth, a, ismadein the front end of the draw-bar, and in the rear of this is another flaring cavity, b, beveled reversely'to the outer mouth, as shown in the sectional view, Fig. l. Between these two cavities is a contracted throat, c, of just such size as will allow'the link to pass freely and work easily.

C is the coupling-lever, having a weight, d, of any desired kind at its lower end, which tends to hold the` lever vertically. rIhe link in entering the draw-l1ead strikes the upper (No model.)

end of the lever, dciiects it, and passes behind it to its proper position, and is instantly and securely locked bythe automatic action of the weight, or the weight and spring combined. The upper end of the lever strikes a stop,f, which forms a solid bearing and takes the strain when the coupling is under tension. The upper end of the lever is provided with a v hook, g, on its back side, for a purpose presently seats, k It, in the draw-head, by which means the lever is held in place and is prevented from dropping out, and also has freedom of action in turning for the purposes 0f coupling and uncoupling.

D is a slide on the under side of the drawbar, resting in bearings or boxes l Z and having a free longitudinal movement. At the front end it has a slotted head, m, which receives the lever, and at the rear end it has a loop or stirrup, n, which receives the cranked rod hereinafter described.

The slotted head m may either have the slot inclosed, as shown in Fig. 2, or open at the outer end, as shown in Fig. 8, the action of the slide in throwing the lever forward being the same in both cases. The object of the closed form shown in Fig. 2 is to lock the lever in place and prevent it from swinging when the coupling is engaged.

E is a cranked rod, resting and turning in bearingspp under the end of the car Gr. At the ends of the rod, and near the sides of the car, are handles r r, by which-'the rod is operated without going between the cars, and in the center is a crank, s, which embraces the draw-bar and rests at4 its lower end in the stirrup u in the slide D.

The operation is as follows: By throwing the cranked rodvforward the slide is thrown forward with it, swinging the weighted lever also forward from the vert-ical position shown ICO 2 essere between the cars, and when the link is thrown fully back. The saine forward movement of the parts enables the link to be raised to an inclined position to couple with a higher car, the hook of the lever catching the lilik in that case and raising the outer end of the link to any desired height from its lowest position, according to the extent to which the lever is thrown by the cranked rod and the slide. By this means the operator holding the handle of the cranked rod has perfect control of the link, and can guide the semeto the couplings or' other cars of any height without going between the cars or incurring any risk whatever, thus making thecoupling automatic and avoiding all dangers that arise from going between the cars. flaring cavities a b in the draw head are essential to allow the link to stand either at a downward or an upward incline, as indicated by the dotted lines, Fig. l, the rear cavity allowing the inner end ofthe link to play up and down, while the outer cavity allows the same ln this connection the two reversemovement to the outer end of the link resting in the throat c as a Iulcrum.

In case the open slotted form ofthe head ot the slide is used, as in Fig. 8, a spring, u, may be attached to the weighted lever, connecting back to the draw-head; but this spring may be dispensed with, if desired. v

- j is a hole for the use of the ordinary ccupling-pin.

Having thus described my invention7 what I claim as new is- In a carfcoupling, the combination of the draw-head provided with the reverse-tlaring cavities'zt b and the shoulders k 7c, the weighted lever G, provided with the hook g and shoulders i t', the slide D, provided with the slotted 

